Local weather forecast:

Today: The National Weather Service in Albany is warning of hazardous weather conditions, Mon., Jul. 18. There is a marginal risk of strong to possibly severe thunderstorms, ahead of a cold front mainly after noon, into the evening. In addition, storms will be capable of producing very heavy rainfall, which could cause some minor urban flooding, due to poor drainage and in low-lying areas. Otherwise, partly sunny. High near 88. Monday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms mainly before 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy. Low around 65.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
TUESDAY: Mostly sunny. High near 81. Tuesday night, mostly clear. Low around 56.
WEDNESDAY: Sunny. High near 81. Wednesday night, mostly clear. Low around 58.

Sunrise today: 5:36 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:27 p.m.

LENGTH OF THE DAY: 14:51 hrs.

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Today is the third Monday of the month.
WGXC suggests calling ahead to confirm time and location.
All numbers are in the 518 area code unless otherwise noted.


 DURHAM Town Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Town Building, 7309 State Rt. 81, East Durham (239-8260).
GREENE County Legislature special Public Safety Committee (to award contract for construction of new jail); Economic Development and Tourism Committee, Government Operations Committee; Finance Committee and Republican and Democratic caucuses, 7 p.m., in caucus room at 411 Main Street, Catskill (719-3200).
GREENVILLE Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 11159 Route 32, Greenville (966-5055).
HUNTER Town Board meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5748 Route 23A, Tannersville (589-6150).
PHILMONT Planning Board meeting, 7 p.m., Philmont Village Hall, 124 Main St., Philmont (672-7032).
TAGHKANIC Planning Board workshop meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall, Route 82, West Taghkanic (851-7638).
VALATIE Village Board meeting (rescheduled from Apr. 12), Village Hall, 3211 Church St., Valatie (758-9806).

The Guardian reports that on July 15 the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the U.S. Navy is using sonar in ways that could harm whales and dolphins. That reversed a lower court decision upholding the 2012 decision by the National Marine Fisheries Service to allow the Navy to use low-frequency sonar for training, testing, and routine operations. The story claims whales, seals, dolphins, and walruses could be hurt by sonar, or the underwater radio waves could disrupt their feeding and mating. The Natural Resources Defense Council led a lawsuit filed in San Francisco in 2012, arguing the Navy's sonar practices violate the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The appellate court agreed, saying the rules failed to meet a section of the protection act requiring peacetime oceanic programs to have, “the least practicable adverse impact on marine mammals.” The court said the fisheries service, “did not give adequate protection to areas of the world’s oceans flagged by its own experts as biologically important,” according to a summary accompanying the court’s decision. "The result is that a meaningful proportion of the world’s marine mammal habitat is under-protected,” the decision said.

Casey Seiler in Capitol Confidential reports that the state Department of Environmental Conservation issued on July 15 the first statewide drought watch since 2002, “following consultation with the State Drought Management Task Force and Federal partner agencies,” according to a press release from the DEC. “While most public water supplies are still generally normal throughout the state, below normal precipitation over the last 9 months, low stream flows, and reduced groundwater levels have prompted the need for this action,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said. “We are encouraging residents throughout the state to conserve water whenever possible during the coming months.” Read the full story in Capitol Confidential.

download or play an audio version of this report.

Andrea Sears from Public News Service reports that when 16- and 17-year-olds are arrested in New York state, they are automatically charged as adults, but advocates say there are steps city and state agencies can take to protect them.

Despite a growing consensus that young brains still are developing past 20-years-of-age, New York remains one of only two states that has not raised the age of criminal responsibility to at least 18.

But Kate Rubin, director of policy for the advocacy group Youth Represent, says there are three ways city and state agencies, including police departments, can reduce the harm the adult criminal justice system can do to children.

"You can reduce their involvement overall, fewer arrests," she states. "Reduce the sentencing and exposure to adult jails and prisons, and you can reduce the ongoing collateral consequences."

A task force appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo two years ago recommended raising the age for adult criminal charges to 18, but lawmakers have failed to pass any of the bills introduced to do that.

Last year there were 17,000 arrests of 16 and 17-year-olds in New York City alone, mostly for misdemeanors.

But Ruben says they don't have to be treated like adults.

"The NYPD can voluntarily adopt a policy of treating young people like young people, which would mean ensuring that their parents were notified and got a Miranda warning before they were questioned," she explains.

Police at times obtain false confessions from adults. Ruben says that risk for frightened and vulnerable teens is substantial.

The consequences of a criminal record are severe, including limiting employment opportunities and eligibility for college loans.

And according to Rubin, the arrest alone can disrupt life for entire families. Those who live in public housing may be faced with a horrible choice.

"Either to permanently exclude this 17-year-old from your family and your home and never let him visit again or your entire family gets evicted," she states.

Ruben says advocates will be back in Albany next year, pushing legislators once again to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 18 or higher.

Katie Kocijanski reports in The Daily Mail that repairs on a Palenville bridge damaged in the storms surrounding Hurricane Irene in 2011 may begin soon. “We are working on getting easements in place for the bridge and maintenance of it has always been done by a group of local people who love the bridge,” Palenville resident Gary Harvey said at the Catskill town board meeting July 12. “The hamlet has a fund for the repairs and is paying for it.” Jill Skupin Burkholder, president of Palenville the Hamlet, Inc., claims this will be the bridge's fourth makeover since it was built in the late 1800s near the corners of Malden and Mill Road. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Local weather forecast:

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83, and a low around 59.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
MONDAY: There is a 40 percent chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 86.
TUESDAY: Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible before noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 79.

Sunrise today: 5:35 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:28 p.m.



Albany TV station WNYT reports that Verizon won't give out business phone books in New York state, after state regulators July 14 ended that mandate. Verizon customers can still request a single phone book, but Verizon will no longer distribute them to all. Residential phone books stopped being mass distributed in 2010, reportedly saving 13,600 tons of paper annually. Read the full story at WNYT.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo reacted to the horrific attack on Bastille Day revelers in France, issuing a statement and increasing overtime budgets for law enforcement agencies in New York. "I have directed state law enforcement officials to step up security at high-profile locations around the state, including our airports, bridges, tunnels and mass transit systems," Cuomo's statement read. "The Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services’ Office of Emergency Management Watch Center will be on heightened alert, monitoring world events. DHSES regional staff have all been notified to maintain a heightened state of awareness at mass gathering events. The New York State Police and the Joint Task Force Empire Shield have deployed additional troops in the New York metropolitan region."

Diane Valden reports in The Columbia Paper that lawyer Kathryn Salensky has started a free legal help hotline for Columbia and Greene county senior citizens dealing with scammers, fraud, or abuse. The hotline, 518-751-0207, was started last month by Salensky with a project called, George’s Justice, named after her father, George Salensky, who died in March at the age of 90. Salensky launched that service at a World Elder Abuse Awareness Day event at the Hudson library. Salensky said most seniors rely on phone land lines with little or no access to the internet. “Asking them to download a form would be like asking me to fix a carburetor,” she said. Anyone calling the hotline, 518-751-0207, leaves a message and someone calls back within 48 hours. “George’s Justice has a great partner in the Attorney General’s Office, which is eager to prosecute cases involving unauthorized services,” Salensky said. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.

Local weather forecast:

Today: Saturday there is a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 81, and a low around 61.

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS
SUNDAY: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83, and a low around 59.
MONDAY: There is a 40 percent chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 86.

Sunrise today: 5:34 a.m.
Sunset today: 8:28 p.m.



DOWNLOAD or play the audio version of the local news update for Fri., July 15 (3:28). (Produced by Alanna Medlock.)